Our Officers

The 2019 LBA Officers and Executive Committee

Hayne Barnwell, President

Attorney Hayne Barnwell has provided fierce and intelligent representation protecting the constitutional rights of her clients since she was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 2006.

She has honed her skills throughout her work for prominent criminal defense/appeals law firms in Boston and Cambridge. She now focuses her practice on appeals, both civil and criminal, and criminal defense, in state and federal courts throughout Massachusetts.

In 2014, the Committee for Public Counsel Services, which oversees court-appointed cases for indigent individuals, certified Attorney Barnwell to represent individuals appealing their level designations by the Sex Offender Registry Board (SORB).

In 2011, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly recognized Attorney Barnwell’s ability by naming her an “Up and Coming Lawyer.” Also, Super Lawyers Magazine selected her to the “Rising Stars” list from 2012-2015 and to the "Super Lawyers" list from 2016-2018.

Kavita Goyal, president-elect

Kavita Goyal, President-Elect

Kavita Goyal leads the Rosen Law Office’s employment practice, representing small-to-mid sized businesses, as well as individuals, in civil litigation, advice and counseling. She focuses on discrimination, harassment, accommodation requests, leave management, retaliation, and wage and hour issues. Her experience representing both companies and employees provides Kavita with a unique perspective to effectively position her client right from the start, as she accurately anticipates the other side’s moves, often before they do.

In her practice, Kavita prepares and reviews employee handbooks, employment contracts including severance agreements and non-competes, conducts workplace investigations, and assists businesses with audits by the Attorney General’s Office.

She routinely appears before the state and federal courts as well as administrative agencies such as the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Kavita also spends a good portion of her time counseling medical and dental practices, as well as home health agencies, with their ongoing business needs, such as drafting contracts, and responding to audits by MassHealth and private insurers. She regularly represents physicians, dentists and other professionals before the Commonwealth of Massachusetts licensing boards including obtaining licenses and responding to Board complaints.

Finally, Kavita handles other civil matters for her clients as well, such as partnership disputes, construction and real estate litigation, and legal guidance regarding business formation and expansion.

Prior to joining Rosen Law Office in the spring of 2011, Kavita worked at Jackson Lewis LLP, where she represented employers in various related disciplines.

John Fraser, Vice President

John attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst from 1982 to 1986. He graduated from Suffolk University Law School, cum laude, in 1989. John was sworn into the Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1989. In 2005, he was sworn into the Bar of the State of New Hampshire and into The Supreme Court of the United States in 2009. John has served as a Conciliator for the Superior Court of Essex County since 2005.

In May of 2001, Carol-Ann T. Fraser and John C. Fraser formed Fraser Law Office LLP. Fraser Law Office LLP assists individuals and businesses with all their legal needs. Whether it is a personal injury case, criminal case or business related matter, Fraser Law Office LLP is and always will be qualified and equipped to well represent its clients. Fraser Law Office LLP maintains an active trial practice in both civil and criminal matters. In January of 2016, Fraser Law Office LLP became Fraser Law Office LLC when Carol-Ann T. Fraser accepted the position of General Counsel and Assistant Director of the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission.

At Fraser Law Office, John has continued to meet the diverse legal needs of his clients. John has developed a growing business law practice assisting clients in forming businesses, addressing day-to-day legal issues and prosecuting or defending lawsuits. John serves as Corporate Counsel for businesses in a variety of industries.

John has continued to represent clients in personal injury cases and general civil litigation cases. At Fraser Law Office, John has represented clients in many different types of cases, including, wrongful death cases, traumatic head and brain injury cases, product liability cases, construction site accidents case and car accident case. John has had the unique opportunity to represent in some case the injured party and in other cases the person or business that is being sued. This has afforded John the opportunity to gain insight into how to best represent a client whether the client is bringing a claim or defending a claim.

John continues to put to use his experience as a criminal defense attorney for his clients that find themselves charged with crimes. He has represented persons accused of drug related crimes, operating under the influence of alcohol (OUI/DWI), and crimes of violence. John has the experience to guide a client charged with a criminal offense through the maze that is our criminal justice system.

The professional relationship between John and his clients is of great importance to him. John stands ready to do whatever he reasonably can to meet the needs of, and get the best results for, his clients.

Victoria Ranieri, Treasurer

Victoria joined Melick & Porter after several years working with the Committee for Public Counsel Services, where she rose to the position of Supervising Trial Attorney. Victoria’s work with this agency, which provides for public defense in Massachusetts, allowed her to gain extensive jury trial experience, including numerous felony criminal cases involving sexual assault, home invasion and controlled substances offenses. Her work often involved complex statutory and constitutional issues. Victoria has shared her expertise by lecturing at Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education seminars. She is a member of the Boston Bar Association, and served on its Criminal Law Steering Committee. She is currently the treasurer of the Lawrence Bar Association. Victoria graduated magna cum laude with an A.B. from Harvard University, and received her J.D. degree from Boston University School of Law.

Outside the office, Victoria enjoys participating in community service activities like the Discovering Justice mock trial program, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, and supporting the local Boys & Girls Club. She likes languages, and is proficient with Spanish and has a working knowledge of French and Italian. She enjoys traveling and going to the theater.

Joanna Rodriguez, Secretary

Attorney Joanna Rodriguez focuses her practice on criminal defense and family law. She has extensive experience handling divorce, child support, guardianships, and custody matters. In her criminal defense, she handles a variety of cases and charges in both District and Juvenile Court. She has an intimate knowledge of the court systems in Massachusetts. She has extensive familiarity with judges, clerks, and prosecutors throughout Massachusetts. She involves her clients in their cases, is direct and honest about their options, and is committed to providing the best possible results. Ms. Rodriguez has experience in the Superior, District and Juvenile Courts, and is highly qualified to represent your interests in misdemeanor and felony criminal matters.

Born in Manhattan, New York and later raised in New Jersey, Ms. Rodriguez attended high school at Absegami in Absecon, New Jersey. In 1998, she graduated from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. At Rutgers, she was a Dean’s List student. She majored in the Administration of Justice and minored in African American Literature. In 2001, Ms. Rodriguez received her law degree from Massachusetts School Law School. While attending law school, Ms. Rodriguez had the privilege of serving as a Judicial Intern in the Juvenile Court.

Following law school, Ms. Rodriguez began her legal career at a law firm dedicated to defending complex commercial litigation, insurance, and personal injury litigation matters throughout New England in both the state and federal courts. She then moved on to working at the Essex County Probate and Family Court as a family law facilitator. In 2008, Ms. Rodriguez established her own law firm in North Andover handling family and criminal law matters. She also serves as a bar advocate on behalf of the Essex County Bar Advocate Association. Since 2002, she was admitted to practice in Massachusetts and United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. She is a member of Lawrence Bar Association and the Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys. Ms. Rodriguez is on the panel of Board of Directors for the Essex County Bar Advocate Program and an Executive Board Member of Socratic Inc. (a non-profit organization).